A Few Words on Guides

As we near the end of our three week journey in China I thought I would take a few minutes and talk about the three guides we have had here in China to help us on our journey.

This is Delia, she was our first guide and met us with a warm smile after our almost 14 hour flight from Chicago. She has such a sweet personality and was very eager to learn as much about us as we wanted to learn about her. Our group of four families followed her like little ducks all around Beijing and she was also there to greet us in Guangzhou.

This is Sherry. We met her in Xi'an and her guidance (especially that first day) was incredible. We got off the plane and only had two hours before meeting our children. She explained everything to us clearly and helped us navigate the paperwork and currency exchange we would need to complete the adoption. She was so helpful when it came time to get Easton. She interpreted for us not only with the people from the orphanage but also with Easton and this was a big reason why he was so good that first day.

This is Helen. I am not sure what to say about her except wow! She has been helping families adopt from China for a long time and it really showed. Helen is confident and knowledgeable and knows how to get the job done. Her English is fantastic and she made us feel so comfortable the entire time (which was two weeks) that we were in Guangzhou.

The reason I thought it was important to talk about the guides is because (without exaggeration) they are worth their weight in gold! This entire experience in China would not be possible without them and not a single one of the families who came here with us would have their new babies at home if these ladies did not do their jobs properly. There is a sea of paperwork that needs to be completed and large amounts of money exchanged for this to be a reality. I am amazed at what these three women know and their ability to make us Americans feel at home in their country.

On the flip side, a bad guide can make this experience unbearable and hopeless. We heard from a few other families (from other agencies) about their terrible experiences. Paperwork not being completed properly, guides not showing up on time, not explaining things correctly and it broke our hearts. Moms would be crying and we saw a lot of anxiety. There are some good agencies out there, and there are also a lot of bad ones.

For those who are reading this and thinking about adoption I cannot speak about other agencies but I can tell you that America World (AWAA) was amazing and they take this very seriously. The guides they selected for us were beyond words and we would recommend them and AWAA to anyone and everyone. This has all been worth it and we love our kids with all our hearts. It was nice feeling like our agency and the people they charged with taking care of us while we were here felt the same way!

From the bottom of our hearts Thank You!